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LCPS reports interventionist program produced year-over-year gains; staff recommend monthly monitoring and board approval of school plans next month
Summary
District staff presented data showing students served by in-school interventionists often exceeded state projections and national benchmarks in reading and math. The district reported declines in interventionist headcount tied to funding changes and asked the board to review school improvement plans ahead of a required November approval.
Lenoir County Public Schools staff told the Board of Education on Oct. 6 that the district’s school-day interventionist program produced measurable gains in reading and math for students who started below proficiency.
“Four years ago we set out with a plan to have interventionists in all of our schools,” a district presenter said, describing an intervention framework of five levels: analyze data; design targeted interventions; implement with small-group instruction; and measure impact. The district said the model emphasizes in-class “push-in” instruction and small-group ratios typically not larger than one adult to six students.
The presentation included year-to-year head counts: the district deployed 95 interventionists in 2022–23, 90 in 2023–24, 47 in 2024–25 and 36 so far this school year (district staff said they expect the number to finish in the 40 range). The district said the earlier higher totals were enabled by ESSER funding.
School-level results presented by staff showed students served by interventionists often exceeded national DIBELS averages and EVOS projections used for statewide growth projections. The district said groups that began below proficiency nonetheless surpassed expected growth for kindergarten through fifth grade at most schools that implemented interventions, and that several schools posted gains in middle- and high-school course pass rates where interventions were provided.
“Because of the program, students feel more confident in their ability to work on a team, which we know is a life skill,” the presenter summarized. The presentation included multiple charts comparing projected performance (state projections) with actual group performance in reading and math.
On program staffing, a board member asked whether interventionists are typically the same from year to year. A presenter said the staff has been “really consistently the same from year to year,” adding many interventionists are retired teachers who return to the program.
District staff emphasized the program’s intentional model: push-in instruction during the day, a recommended contact frequency of about three times per week, and small-group ratios aimed at 1:6 students. Staff said that, in multiple sites and grade levels — including fourth grade where EVOS projections are used — groups of students exceeded a year of expected growth.
The presenters asked board members to review each school’s school improvement plan, which the district uploaded to NCSTAR and made available via executive summaries and a universal link in the board packet. Staff told trustees that board approval of each school improvement plan will be an action item at the board’s November meeting to meet the statutory requirement for approval before state pulls those plans in early December.
Board members asked no substantive policy changes at the meeting. Staff said they will continue monitoring implementation and data and that the district expects to intensify interventions in October and November and again after the winter break.
